Parks spared during irrigation curbs

SOW THERE: Public parks in South Wairarapa like this one where mayor Adrienne Staples planted wildflower seeds with Martinborough schoolchildren will be watered in summer.PHOTO/FILE

Council owned parks and gardens in the South Wairarapa district will be irrigated during the summer - even if water restrictions are in place.

However, this would be monitored watering kept to a minimum and in "extreme events" would be reviewed.

"We will water, but at minimum levels," said South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples.

A report by South Wairarapa District Council amenities manager Helen McNaught asked councillors at a meeting last week "to consider irrigation of Martinborough Square as well as other council-owned spaces in Greytown and Featherston during the summer water restriction period".

Ms McNaught said council had an investment in some key trees, gardens and sports fields in the district.

She said irrigation was "potentially critical in maintaining the investment in those assets and avoiding additional costs in repairing or replacing them".

The council agreed to the irrigation proposals in the report. These were to develop a "key asset irrigation policy" which would cover times where water restrictions applied.

SWDC would also investigate possible alternative water supplies, such as bores and rainwater roof catchments, for the irrigation of council assets.

Mrs Staples said that "individuals are saving water at home and putting it on the garden so council needs to be able to do the same thing in extreme circumstances".

A water meter would be installed on the Martinborough Square irrigation system so the quantity of water used over the summer could be determined.

The system has four zones and in summer each zone runs for one hour every day.

"There's water restrictions and then there's being really low in supply in which case things have to be sacrificed," said councillor Solitaire Robertson.